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Outdoor activity centre uses canal water to keep people warm

10th Feb 2010

An innovative heat pump has been installed at Falkirk’s newest outdoor activity centre, Action Outdoors and will be switched on today, Wednesday 10 February 2010.

Located on the bank of the Union Canal, the activity centre is making the most of the surrounding environment in every sense with pipes laid in the canal providing hot water for the centre.

The heat pump works on the same principal as a fridge – cooling one part of the environment and thereby generating heat. In this case, using pipes submerged in the canal, a refrigerator plant cools the canal water and makes use of the heat recovered to provide hot water and central heating for the Action Outdoors building. Heat generated in this way has much reduced carbon emissions compared with conventional gas or oil boilers.

Much reduced carbon emissions

Funding for the energy saving heat pump came from The Waterways Trust’s Green Fund which has been established by Britain’s leading canal hire boat company, UK Boat Hire, who have a base in Falkirk, and The Waterways Trust to specifically invest in low carbon technologies and other environmental projects to help mitigate for the carbon emissions caused by holidays taken along our canals and rivers. For every holiday booking received, UK Boat Hire makes a donation to the Green Fund and invites holidaymakers to do the same for their travel to and from the start location.

Today, 10 February, Ed Helps, Managing Director of UK Boat Hire and Steve Dunlop, Director of British Waterways Scotland, will join Roger Hanbury, Chief Executive of The Waterways Trust to inspect the new heat pump and to meet young people taking part in the Trust’s environmental and tourism self-development programme, Green Action.

"Create a greener and more sustainable future"

Steve Dunlop, Director of British Waterways Scotland, said: "It is important to find new ways by we can create a greener and more sustainable future, be it through renewable energy sources such as this heat pump, wildlife habitat improvements or reducing waste. British Waterways is determined to play its part in creating a better future for our children and the Green Fund is making a valuable contribution towards protecting the unique environment of the waterways."

Last updated: 11/02/2010

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